The Bureau of Immigration has announced that two women hired to become surrogate mothers in China were arrested as they were about to leave the Philippines.
In its statement, the Bureau of Immigration explained that these former oversees Filipino workers, Ria, aged 32, and Ellie, aged 28, admitted that they had been recruited to be surrogate mothers for 300,000 Philippine pesos each. The two women, both of whom needed money for their families, were approached via a commercial surrogacy website.
Grifton Medina, head of the Bureau of Immigration’s port operations division, explained that he had intercepted them because surrogacy contracts “exploit women whose wombs are treated as commodities to meet the reproductive needs of rich people who are unable to have children”. He added that “we do not want the Philippines to be the next hub for this sector. It exploits the vulnerability of our women, who agree to such arrangements to escape poverty and despair”.
In 2017, the Bureau of Immigration prevented four women from becoming surrogate mothers who had been recruited in Cambodia for 500,000 Philippine pesos.
CNN Philippines (12/04/2019) – Immigration stops 2 women hired to be surrogate mothers in China from leaving PH